Not so simplistic as it looks on the surface but still not as nuanced as I was looking for. I found it hard to care much about any of the characters: I don't identify with the kind of crush that largely defines Sarah's motivation for most of the story; the portrayal of Cleo as the shrew who wants to stop her beleagured husband from doing anything important because it might be dangerous is not a favourite trope of mine, let alone with bigotry thrown in; and Reese as said beleagured husband and Nice Guy who is further beleagured by the unwanted attentions of a teenager is another trope that can go die in a fire any minute now. To the book's credit, the story does not delve the depths of infidelity and ephebophilia that it might if written by a male lit professor with a mid-life crisis, but even as unfulfilled potential this was a constant looming distraction.

On top of this the role of religion and Threats From the Expansionist Empire felt... maybe 'heavy-handed' is a better word than simplistic: there was a variety of points of view but it still always felt like I was being hammered over the head with "Religious influence in government bad, military influence in government bad, monarchy influenced primarily by the monarch's body-servant totally awesome."

I see elsewhere this being praised as awesome Canadian sf that doesn't hew to the heroic tropes of USan sf, and I can see this. Perhaps the problem is that it falls into a kind of uncanny valley for me: halfway to the "life is complicated, guys" thing I quite like, but still painting this complexity in broad strokes. ( )

This dystopian novel follows a street urchin known as Sarah in the city of Monn. When an archaeologist from outside the city comes to look for sources of power, she finds herself attracted to him and essentially becomes his sidekick. When he is captured by the monks and accused of being a witch, she must team up with other archaeologists to try save him.

This novel is not my usual genre to read. I found it interesting and did enjoy it. ( )

Legend of Sarah was an interesting book that held my attention the entire time. It was very interesting, and I think the only reason that I didn't give this book 4 or 5 stars was that I had issues connecting with the main character. It is a quick read, and I would definitely recommend this book to YA or Middle School Readers (and any Adults who are interested in YA or Middle School Books).

HARNT ( )

This was an enjoyable read. There wasn't much action but I liked it more towards the second half of the book when there is a bit more suspense.

Being a new genre for me I found some of the names of places and people a little confusing especially when it later emerges that it was within the lifetime of one of the characters that the world has changed so dramatically. I couldn't quite marry that concept with the notion that civilisation has splintered- one group modern with a working knowledge of the past and are technologically advanced and the other completely ignorant with the mentality to go with it. The latter would have fitted in nicely if they'd been dropped into the 17th century. If it was a time travel book I would have understood the differences better.

The book also needs to be proof read again to correct some spelling and missing words. ( )

This story of a distopian world where a technological society clashes with a feudal superstitious society is quite interesting without being outstanding. The plot is believable and the characters somewhat developed. One female was not all that likeable and the other was too young for what she wanted. However it did have a satisfying ending. ( )